Shiver
by MikkiDoodle
Summary: A day of sliding turns out to be something more for Axel and Roxas. TWO-SHOT.


**Summary: **A day of sliding turns out to be something more for Axel and Roxas. TWO-SHOT.  
**Rating: **Rated M  
**Pairing: **Axel and Roxas. Hints of one-sided Namine and Roxas.

* * *

The mid-January air held somewhat of a tranquility to it, although it was a lot colder than the radio declared it was supposed to be. Each warm breath met with bitter cold air, intermingling to create a bleary mist which hung in the air for several moments, before dissipating altogether without any trace that it had been there at all. But aside from the coldness of the early afternoon, the tranquility of the surrounding forest still remained. Green utterly surrounded them, coming from the tall pines and evergreen's that were most likely several decades old. The scent that went with the tree's reminded Roxas of the air fresheners that hung from the rear-view mirror in a vehicle. But those few factors were the only things that seemed tranquil about the plowed path that he and the rest of the group walked upon. Each step brought the sound of snow crunching underfoot to the young man's ears. That wouldn't have been so bad, if the crunching had been the only sound about them. At the head of the group loped along Luxord, who held a half-empty can of Bud Light grasped in his right hand. From his mouth spewed a loud laughter, as he yet again stumbled in his drunken stupor. It didn't matter how much Luxord drank - it seemed as if he could get drunk from just about everything.

Clenching his teeth together in annoyance to his friend, Roxas forced himself to look away from the older blonde, out into the frosty wonderland that was the forest. His azure eyes swept over the snow-covered boughs of the evergreens, noting how they bent slightly from the weight of them. That thought led onto another, of how snow could be so light, yet heavy at the same time. However, seeing as whom his choice of friends were, the younger's thoughts were interrupted by someone waving their pale hand in front of his face. The annoyance entered his eyes once again, yet he made no retort as he turned to face the antagonist. Of course, he didn't really need to look to know who had chosen to make him their victim. "Dozing off already, Roxas?" Came the male voice, so familiar to Roxas that he would recognize it anywhere. For a short minute he remained quiet, staring up at Axel as the group traveled onward. Axel must have begun to wonder if Roxas had dazed off, because the blonde spotted his friend's hand beginning to lift once more.

He blinked once, then replied in a cool voice, "Shut up." It wasn't much of a retort, but it was good enough for Axel. The grin, so stupid that it reminded Roxas of Luxord when he was drunk, spread wider across his pale skin. Roxas' eyes dropped down to the single dimple that was on Axel's left cheek, noting that the small feature on his friends face seemed somewhat unexpected.

Axel was the emo-ish type of guy; he always wore hand or arm warmers, usually always black or red. His choice of pants were much like Roxas' - super tight skinny jeans that seemed too small to someone simply glancing over. Despite Axel's height and muscular appearance, the red-head was nothing more than a beanpole. Axel's choice of shirts usually ranged depending on his mood, but on that particular day the older man was wearing a simply black t-shirt, with a gray button up over-shirt that was left open. Over those, he wore a simple black jacket, while his hands were clad with a pair of plain black hand warmers. Even though Roxas and Axel wore similar clothes, their choice in colors were far from being identical. Axel preferred to wear darker colors such as red and black, while Roxas chose to wear vibrant ones. Ironically, he and Axel were nearly wearing the same thing. But instead of wearing the button-up over-shirt, he simply dark purple jacket. The jacket's colors reminded Roxas of his friend's tattoos. The two identical markings resembled upside down teardrops that were placed parallel from one another beneath either one of his eyes.

From where his blue eyes were trained on Axel's single dimple, they began to travel upward to the identical teardrop tattoos beneath the older man's eyes. On first glance they appeared to be black. But on further inspection, it became known to whomever was looking that they were indeed a dark purple. During the moments in which Roxas' probing stare was on Axel's face, the red-head felt his best friend's eyes upon his face. Bright, emerald eyes casting to the side, they met Roxas'. One of his brows raised over his eye, yet the younger boy still did not look away. Emitting a small chuckle, Axel lifted his hand as he had done before. Still Roxas did not move.

Another chuckle passed through Axel's lips as he moved his hand up and down past the now still Roxas' face, waiting for him to react. Still, no movement came from Roxas. By that time the others in the group had walked halfway up the other hill. It was obvious in their steps that they were eager to start sliding. The thought made Axel roll his emerald eyes. When Roxas' twin Sora had mentioned that he wanted to go sliding after it had snowed several days before, everyone had gotten excited at the thought. At first, the red-head hadn't been very happy at the thought that Sora was making everyone go. But when Sora got something he wanted to do in his head, you did it whether you wanted to or not. Axel couldn't help but think part of the reason everyone was afraid to say no was the fact that Riku, the brunette's boyfriend, wouldn't be very happy if anyone said no to Sora. Although he wouldn't exactly do anything to anyone if they did indeed say no, he would simply be in a horrible mood for days. Riku, plus a horrible mood, wasn't something that any one of their friends wanted to witness.

Now, as the group headed up the rest of the hill with Sora plodding along behind Luxord and Riku being towed by his and Sora's locked hands, Axel slightly smirked. The action didn't go by unnoticed by the continuously staring Roxas, but he didn't consciously realize what was happening around him. "Roxy.." Axel murmured to his friend, turning his head back to look down at the blonde. There was a slight change in Roxas - his eyes blinked once, but he still did not verbally respond to his name. However, the red-head took the blinking of his eyelids as a good sign, and spoke once more. Again Roxas blinked, but the sound of his name being spoken seemed to revive the young man from his dreamy state. Confusion began to enter Roxas' eyes as he drifted back to reality. "What?" Blinking several more times, the fact that he was staring at Axel, and that the red-head was staring back down at him came crashing down upon the blonde. A crimson blush stained his pale cheeks, a factor that didn't go by unnoticed by Axel's watchful eyes. The older man opened his mouth to speak, but a loud voice suddenly shouted out, coming closer as it spoke. "Watch out!"

Simultaneously the two of them turned to look in the direction of the sound, finding that a tube was coming down the hill at a fast rate, heading straight toward them. Riding on the tube sat Riku, with Sora sitting upon his lap. The brunette held a wide smile on his face, aimed directly at his twin. Riku on the other hand smirked slightly at Axel, whom had the sudden urge to give him the middle finger. Eyes flashing with smoldering annoyance, Roxas beat him to it. He lifted his hand, lowering all fingers aside from his middle one. But it was all for nothing, because Riku and Sora flashed by the moment he lifted his hand. Despite wanting to do the exact same thing, Axel couldn't help but laugh. Roxas shot him a glare through narrowed blue eyes, swearing death upon Axel. The red-head's laugh began to die away at the unwavering, deathly glare that Roxas was giving him. "Ah... sorry." Axel snickered in reply, hand lifting to ruffle the blonde locks atop Roxas' head. The glare only became deeper, but he didn't reply. Instead, the younger man turned away from Axel, and began to trudge along toward the sloping hill. The red-head watched the younger boy walk for a few moments, and then he himself followed after him. Behind him, Axel could hear the sounds of Riku and Sora laughing as the sled finally came to a complete halt. He permitted himself a glance back over his shoulder at the duo, where the sight of the two of them, covered from head to toe in snow, greeted him. Another smirk spread across the man's face. Riku sure was a lucky guy. Not for being with Sora, but for being with someone like him.

Head turning back around to face forward, Axel's gaze fell upon the retreating Roxas. The smile that had been tugging at the corners of his mouth turned down in a slight frown. The two of them had been best friends since they were babies, and were as close as Roxas was to Sora. But despite that tiny fact, Axel still didn't have the heart to tell the man, whom was the one person he'd gotten close to, that he was gay. Sure, Axel had plenty of other friends. But none were as close to him as Roxas was. The two of them often bickered like an old married couple, but when it came down to it, they had each others back.

As if he had another set of eyes planted into the back of his head, hidden by his golden locks, Roxas inclined his head so that he could look back at Axel. "You talk about me drifting off into dreamland. Ha!" Came his reply, mouth turning up into a small, smirking grin. Axel shook his head, ridding his mind of those irritating and saddening thoughts. Steps resuming once more at a much quicker pace, Axel found himself catching up to Roxas in no time. The blond's tiny smile had disappeared altogether, resuming it's usual tight line. And for once, Axel didn't quip any jokes about Roxas being a 'Non-smiler' or 'Tight-lipped'. This surprised the blonde to the point where he began to become concerned for his friend. The only time Axel didn't joke around was when he was too busy dealing with his own thoughts. More often than not, it was usually because something was bothering the older boy. At this time, however, Roxas could not think up anything that would be bothering his friend. There had been no drama relationship wise for him, aside from him having a rather large spat with an ex-girlfriend of his. But even in that case, Roxas couldn't see how that would be what was bothering him. Each time Axel had broken off a relationship with a girl, or she with him, it hardly fazed the man at all. If fact, as far back as Roxas could remember, things like that never had. "Axel.." Murmured Roxas, his eyes casting upon the red-head's face. His eyes sought out the other, blue boring into green the moment that they reached their destination. Axel looked sideways down at Roxas, eyes remaining on the shorter man's as his head moved. "Hm?" He grunted in reply, eyebrow raising questioningly.

Roxas didn't reply for a moment, merely staring up at Axel in silence. Once more the tranquility of the forest surrounded them, creating a calm atmosphere. Aside from the hoops and hollers of the other, the sound of them walking was the only sound that registered in Roxas' mind. In the moments that followed, the blonde considered not replying at all. In his mind, the man felt that if he spoke, then the solitude of tranquility would suddenly shatter into thousands of shards. And if that happened, there was no way for Roxas to pick up the pieces, one by one. However, as he continued to stare up at Axel, the blonde could see the battling emotions deep within his friend's eyes. The tight line that his mouth was set in threatened to fall into a deep frown, yet he knew that doing so would only make Axel pull into himself and not respond to Roxas' questions. So instead of doing so, the blonde asked, "Something wrong?"

Another urge overcame Axel, this one to crush Roxas against his chest and confess everything to the petite blonde. Of course, that was something that he would not allow himself to do. There was no telling what Roxas' reaction would be his confession. Be it good or bad, Axel figured that he wasn't going to ever find out. Shaking his head from left to right several times, the red-head replied in an even tone, "No, everything's great. Why?" He inclined his head to the side, eyes casting downward to meet the blond's. On Roxas' face he could read the determination to find what was bothering the older man. Axel's lower lip pulled into his mouth, biting at it nervously. A second passed before his lip retracted from his mouth, as he realized that Roxas would realize that he was growing nervous. The determined look upon the youngers face only grew at the simple action.

"Axel," He began, coming to a halt on the side of the path. Reaching forward with his uncovered hands, Roxas grasped both of Axel's. Even though he was wearing hand-warmers, the elder could still feel the cold coming from Roxas hands. His heart began to thrum at a quicker pace, the heat rising in his cheeks as his pale skin began to turn a light crimson, as Roxas' had only minutes earlier. The blush that spread like wildfire across Axel's face did not go unnoticed, yet it was the last thing that was on Roxas' mind, even though it did confuse the younger man. "What's going on? You've been exceptionally quiet ever since we started walking up here. What the hell is up?"

The red-head could do nothing but look away in a silent gesture. At the same time, he was compelled yet again to confess everything to him. But he still did not speak. Instead his eyes roamed their surroundings, hoping to stall as long as he could before Roxas figured out what he was doing. But luckily, Sora and Riku chose at that time to throw several snowballs simutaniously at them. The cold object hit the back of Axel's head, and then proceeded to slide down his back into his clothes. A silent yet escaped past his lips, while Roxas on the other hand didn't even attempt to hold it he. The squeal that rushed up his throat into the open air was something that you would hear from a young girl. But the blonde hardly took notion to that, as he began to brush the snow from his hair and clothes. What he had been about to say to Axel was completely forgotten as he turned to send a glare at his twin and Riku. "One of these days, Sora Strife, I am going to kill you." These words made Sora squeal in mock fright, sending him fleeing behind Riku. The silver-haired man placed his hands behind him on his boyfriend's hips, the protective side of himself coming out. Something that Riku had for Sora, and for Sora only.

With a roll of his eyes and a sigh that happened in the same moment Roxas turned back to Axel, only to find that the older man had turned and trudged the rest of the way up the hill. Now it was Roxas' turn to pull his lip into his mouth, biting harder at it than he should have. A metallic taste entered his mouth, confirming that he had indeed bitten through the first few layers of skin. Cursing in mild annoyance, Roxas turned from his brother and Riku, ignoring the look of confusion when neither Roxas or Axel reacted the way they wanted to. Hands shoving into his pant pockets for warmth, Roxas continued to trudge along in Axel's footsteps up the remainder of the slope. From behind him, the incoherent murmurs of Riku and Sora reached his ears, yet he could not make out what they were saying. Not bothering to turn around and demand what they were secretly whispering about, Roxas headed forward to the fire that was being lit. Crouched down was Demyx, crumpling up pages from a newspaper. Beside him knelt his shadow, metaphorically. Although it did sometimes seem as if Zexion was Demyx's shadow. Like Axel, Zexion's choice of clothes and colors were emo-ish. But whereas Axel had flaming red hair and spontaneously wore bright colors a few times a week, Zexion's choice of color for his clothes was always simple. Always different shades of gray and black. Grasped in Zexion's hand, Roxas could make out a small object of what he figured was a lighter. As he thought about it more, the more the object appeared to be one. In the end, he simply nodded his head and glanced away. Of course it was a lighter. How else were they supposed to light the fire?

Across from the two, Luxord lay in a heap in a snowbank. Roxas raised his brow at this, yet didn't bother to question the unsconcious state that Luxord was in. Most likely he had already had too much to drink, or something otherwise punched the living daylights out of him. Although the oldest of the tiny group was indeed a friend to all of them, Roxas still couldn't help but feel annoyed at him. Luxord was never without some alcohol substance, which often led to him getting more drunk than anyone had ever seen. And more often than not, someone ended up punching him out. It wasn't as if he complained, though. Half the time, after explaining how he was acting, Luxord thanked whomever had done the deed. Sitting in one of the chairs that circled the remaining empty spaces of the piled wood, sat Axel. At first sight of him, Roxas felt the urge to do what the person whom knocked Luxord out did. To swing at him and give him a good shiner. That thought led onto wondering why exactly the older man had simply walked away in the middle of their conversation.

"That was awesome!"

The words that came from behind him shattered his silent state of thinking. Body flinching in surprise of his brother and Riku suddenly appearing once again, Roxas turned to watch as his twin clambered up the rest of the way. Once up, he tossed the tube to the side, and the presumably sank to the ground. After glancing around for a few seconds, Sora's sight fell upon Luxord's unsconcious form. Blue eyes which were identical to Roxas' own, the brunette exclaimed, "What happened to Lux?" To this, several snickers went up in the air. Riku's own eyes held confusion as he glanced around, waiting for someone to reply to Sora's question. Finally, someone did.

"It was Axel." Came Namine's petite sounding voice. Everyone turned to look at the small girl, from where she sat nearly blended into the snow. She wore a pair of pure white water-resistant pants, with a white jacket to match. The only thing that gave her away was her pale blonde hair, as well as her bright blue eyes. She held such a resemblance to Roxas, to the point that some wondered if she was related to him. Even after either of them explained that no, she wasn't, everyone could tell that people still had their doubts. Next to Axel and Sora, Namine was the person who Roxas was closest to. Sora and Roxas turned in the same moment to the silent Axel, who was staring now at the fire as it began to catch upon the stack of logs. Sora said nothing, but Roxas sure wasn't going to remain that way. He took several steps closer to his friend, placing his hand upon the arm of the plastic chair the red-head sat upon.

His mouth opened to speak, but the words caught in his throat just as they were about to come out. Several times Roxas tried to ask why he had punched Luxord, and each one of those times he promptly failed. Instead his eyes caught Axel's, and in the moments that followed silent words were passed between them. There was no need for words to be shared aloud. Either of them had known each other so long, that they could somehow understand everything between each other, without actually speaking. Almost everything. Roxas inclined his head in a small nod, repeating Axel's silent words inside his head. He would explain later. But even as they stood and sat there, staring at each other for yet another moment, Roxas desperately wanted to know what was bothering his friend. But he still couldn't bring himself to speak, in fear that Axel would become more unresponsive, and because he simply couldn't will himself to speak.

It wasn't until Demyx suddenly hopped up and spoke that Roxas realized that he had been unknowingly holding his breath. "Okay, let's get sliding!" Said the other blonde in a loud, cheery voice. Startled at the sudden exclamation, Roxas flinched and exhaled rather loudly. Yet at the same time, his eyes remained fixed upon Axel. The blonde could see a hint of a smirk touching the corners of the other man's mouth, but the smile never really lifted his cheeks as it normally did. Roxas began to open his mouth yet again to speak to Axel, ignoring the fact that Demyx was handing out sleds at random. The bubbly blonde could only take it upon himself to decide who would go on which sled, and everyone else didn't have the heart to go against what he wanted.

Once again Roxas was interrupted. This time it was Demyx, thrusting a snow tube into his grasp. Roxas simply stared at the large object in his hands, rather confused as to why Demyx had suddenly shoved it at him. Then he remembered that they were there to slide, and Demyx obviously wanted Roxas to go on that one. The blonde turned to fix his gaze upon Axel once more, and found as he did so that his friend had no sled in his possession. On his face Axel held a look of mixed amusement and confusion, while Roxas mimicked the look on his own face. "Er.. Dem?" Axel spoke for the first time since the bottom of the hill, when he and Roxas had shared a moment that neither of them knew the meaning of. "Why was I not given anything to slide on?"

The other blonde turned around as his nickname was called, pausing where he stood beside his boyfriend. For a moment the man was silent, turquoise eyes half narrowed and glaring at Axel as if he should know the answer to his own question. The silence was finally broken with a sigh that was a huff of exasperation. "And you guys call me dumb.." Muttered the blonde, loud enough for them to hear, while giving his head an indignant shake. "You and Roxas are going to share that one." Hand lifting, Roxas' heart gave a mighty thump as Demyx pointed to the tube that he still held in his arms. If it were possible, Axel's already pale face only grew lighter. On Roxas' face a crimson blush spread like wildfire; beginning at his cheeks, and spreading everywhere else. Several snickers sounded from all sides of him. The most prominent of them was Riku and Sora, whose laughter was the loudest of them all. Even Namine was chuckling a light, tinkling giggle that strangely reminded Roxas of sleigh bells. Only Axel was silent, aside from Roxas. If it was anyone else, however, Roxas didn't doubt that the red-head would be laughing, loudest of them all.

Wishing that his cheeks would stop burning with the blush that probably was as red as Axel's hair, Roxas sent a glare at everyone around him. Mostly his brother and Riku, whom were holding each other up while doubled over in laughter. "What is so funny?" Demanded the blushing blonde, blue eyes narrowing in annoyance at his group of friends. Their laughter only increased at his oblivious question, though Roxas noted that the tinkling sound of Namine's giggling was not among those who laughed further. Instead, it was her voice that he heard several moments later.

"Oh Roxas, don't take it personally." Chided the blonde woman. He turned away from the others laughing appearances, so that Namine was the only one in his line of sight. On her face a warm smile spread, neither mocking him or laughing. It was simply one of Namine's friendly smiles. Roxas met her blue eyes, the ones that resembled his own in just about a million ways. The smile reached her eyes, creating a warmth within him that calmed him considerably so. "They're just laughing at your reaction, is all."

Although her warm eyes and smile seemed to calm him to the point where his anger only bubbled slightly, her words made it shoot right back up. But at the same time Roxas refused to snap at the other blonde, for she was only trying to help. "Namine, how am I not supposed to take it personally, when they're laughing at me?" Roxas grumbled, gaze lowering to fix on his shoes. His eyes traced the dark violet color of the fabric, attempting to distract himself from everyone else's probing laughs.

Suddenly Namine looked up, staring at the others with narrowed eyes. One thing that one didn't expect from a tiny thing like Namine was the glares that she could give. Unlike Roxas' cold stares that spoke death to those that they fell upon, Namine's said more than that. Her's promised torture, and then after the torture came death. Roxas watched as her blue eyes met each one of their friends, and one by one the laughter fell from their lips. Now a heavy cloud of silence hung in the air, enveloping the group of friends. Now it was Roxas' turn to grin in amusement, as he turned and found that the others were staring down at their feet, not daring to meet Namine's deathly stare. When he turned back to the other blonde, their eyes met for a moment. In that moment so many things passed between them - friendship, thanks, and several others that Roxas couldn't put a name to. After a few minutes Namine averted her eyes to look away uncomfortably, and with another grin toward her, Roxas turned back to look at the others. His warm small turned smug, but before anyone could make a comment he strode forward to grasp Axel's hand in his free one.

The red-head looked up quickly, but said nothing to the younger man. Roxas said nothing either; instead he grasped Axel's warm hand tighter, and gave it a small tug. Getting the idea, the older man pushed himself to his feet, with help from Roxas' tugging grasp. The two of them stood side by side, hand in hand, for several moments. The red-head glanced down at their hands, wishing to twine his fingers with Roxas'... to bend down and kiss him, slow and deep. At the same time he went against his own thoughts, for he knew that Roxas would do either a good thing, or a bad either. Most likely he would punch Axel, and the red-head had no doubt that the blonde wasn't afraid to do so. On the other hand, Axel felt that Roxas would kiss him back. There was something in the blond's eyes that Axel noticed was only there when he went into a trance, staring at Axel with searching blue eyes. However, Axel wasn't sure if it was his imagination that knew Roxas would kiss him back, or if it was really true. Either way, the man wasn't going to find out anytime soon.

It was at that moment that Roxas suddenly realized that he was getting lost in staring at Axel again. He released his hold on his friend's hand; within Axel's eyes he could see an unknown emotion flash in the two emerald orbs. The smug grin faded on his face, and once again his lips became pressed together in a tight line. Instead of saying anything, though, Roxas inclined his head to nod toward the slope several feet off, then lifted the tube in his hand to emphasize what he was trying to say. For a short minute Axel did not reply, simply staring down at Roxas. Then he nodded, and a grin spread across his face. "Let's get sliding, kid!" His voice was loud, startling Roxas. While the blonde flinched, voices echoed in agreement with Axel's statement. In the moments that followed, it was as if someone had flicked the scene from paused to play. Everyone moved in the same instant, making a run for the hill. Despite not wanting to, Roxas couldn't stop the large grin that lifted his cheeks and reached his eyes. Each azure orb sparkled with amusement as he watched his brother and Riku dart for the crest of the hill. Seconds later Sora was settling down into his boyfriends lap, while Demyx gave them a mighty push. Namine nabbed the Crazy Carpet that she had set beside her, then made a running leap at the hill. She landed lightly on her stomach upon the thin piece of plastic, and seconds later was catching up with Riku and Sora. Behind either of the racing sleds, snow rose in dusty white clouds behind them, before drifting slowly back down to the ground.

Roxas watched the others as they slowed at the bottom of the hill for a moment longer. Jealousy for his twin and the oldest of his friends shot through his for a moment, before being shoved abruptly away with a twinge of annoyance at himself. The blonde was perfectly content in being single. It meant he could go where he wanted, with whomever he wanted, without being tied down by someone else. The last time he had been someone was... Now that he thought about it, never. Sure, Roxas had flirted with other people before; but never in an actual relationship. These thoughts were also shoved quickly away, to hopefully never be thought of again. For the second time Roxas silently repeated to himself that he was fine being single, even if his twin brother was madly in love, and had been for several years. "Shall we go?" Suggested the blonde, raising his eyes to meet Axel's. The red-head gave a simple nod of his head, and after hesitating, grabbed Roxas by the hand and towed him forward.

A blush threatened to break out on the petite man's face, but he had no time to become embarrassed or think about it. Axel released his hold on Roxas' free hand, and in the next second the snow tube was ripped from his other hand. Roxas only watched as Axel settled down onto the tube, shifting for a few moments to get more comfortable. The blonde man could only sit and watch the red-head until he became still once more, and in that moment Axel turned his head to look at Roxas. He held out his hand, and Roxas' hesitation only lasted for a second before he grabbed Axel's hand in his own. Taking a small step forward, then another, the next few moments blurred together, until he found himself nestled in Axel's lap.

Blue eyes blinking once, they lifted up to Axel's face. The red-head stared down at him in return, and again Roxas felt his face turn red in embarrassment. Upon this Axel acted quickly, pulling Roxas legs upon from the ground, bending them tightly against the blond's stomach. The red-head figured that Roxas got the idea, for the younger man tucked his arms in against his chest, then lowered his head to rest it against the older man's chest. It was then Axel's turn to blink slowly down at the other. If everyone else had not been around, he would have most definitely kissed him right then and there. Instead Axel wrapped his arms around the small form of Roxas, a smile turned the corners of his mouth up. This time the smile did reach his eyes, illuminating his emerald eyes. At that moment, Axel understood the protectiveness that Riku held over Sora. At that moment, his arms tightly wrapped around his friends tiny body, the man felt the exact same thing for Roxas. He felt as if he could walk over water, or soar through the skies on invisible wings. "Ready to go?" Murmured the red-head, his voice so low that only the one propped against his chest was able to hear. The blond's mouth opened to reply to his friend, but for the second time words caught in his throat before he was able to actually voice them. Instead he nodded. Lifting one hand from it's spot on Roxas' thigh, Axel signaled for someone to push them down the hill. Zexion darted forward, and with a strength that no one expected the small man to possess, the tube suddenly shot forward over the crest of the hill.

From walking at the bottom of the hill, it didn't seem as if it was that big. When on the sled, it seemed a whole lot bigger. Axel's hold on Roxas only grew tighter when he felt his friend's fingers grip the front of his coat harder. Slowly, as the tube's momentum began to decrease, Axel lowered his gaze to Roxas. His face was pressed into Axel's chest, eyes screwed tightly closed. At sight of Roxas' expression, the red-head couldn't help but chuckle. The vibrations of his short laughs did not go by unnoticed by the petite man. His eyelids slowly began to recede, revealing bright blue orbs. They lifted to Axel's face, falling upon his smiling lips. From there they traveled up his cheeks, even further up to his tattoos, until they finally landed on his friend's eyes. Each man blinked slowly once, neither one of them moving despite the fact that the tube had stopped altogether. The voices of their friends seemed distant - because everyone else was either climbing back up the hill or already there. Not only that, but for yet another moment, Axel and Roxas became lost in each other.

Neither of them blinked again as they continued gazing up at one another in utter silence. And, aside from Axel shifting so that his arms were wrapped tightly against Roxas; both resting lightly on the younger man's thigh, neither of them moved from where they were nestled on the tube. Minutes, even hours, could have passed before one of them made a move. Slowly Roxas blinked his bright eyes, though they never did leave their position on his Axel's own. His heart hammered in his chest, so hard that it seemed as if it would break through past his ribs at any given time. In the same moment, the blonde absently wondered if Axel could feel the thrumming of his heart. The thought was dismissed several seconds later with a slight quiver of his head that served as a shake. And even though Axel was staring intently at Roxas' face, the red-head still managed to catch the small shake of his head. A single auburn brow raised above his emerald eye, and Axel wasted no time in asking, "Something wrong?"

Axel's deep voice seemed to shatter the tranquil silence hanging about them. Several times Roxas' eyes blinked, before he finally seemed to realize what was going on. With an uncomfortable grunt the blonde looked away, focusing his gaze upon a point somewhere in the surrounding forest. His voice was soft when he replied, "Nothing." Yet Axel knew Roxas. They had known each other since they were in diapers - that was twenty-one years of getting to know each other. So when Roxas was troubled by something, Axel always seemed to know straight away. And as always, the red-head was right.

"Don't lie to me, Roxas.." Axel replied to his blonde friend, green eyes taking on a sharp edge to them despite trying to keep it hidden. The sharpness to his eyes held concern for the blonde, but at the same time it held agitation that the red-head couldn't keep masked. Mentally he cursed himself, and noted to practice hiding his agitation from Roxas. For a short moment Roxas was silent, hesitating on what to say to Axel. What could he say? Here they were, nestled upon the snow tube against one another, clinging to each other as if the end of the world was knocking on their doorstep. His mouth opened, but no words came out as he still was unable to think of anything to say to his friend. Though no words came from his mouth, the small blond's mind was slowly working. Things were beginning to make sense now. He knew why he was constantly staring up at Axel and getting lost in his friend... and why every time they got close, he couldn't help but take a deep whiff of Axel's scent, and how his heart would beat madly in his chest every time the red-head even looked at him.

Slowly but surely, Roxas Strife was falling head over heels for his best friend.

Almost mechanically, like a robot, Roxas' mouth began to open and close as he began to say what he had just discovered, but each time he snapped his mouth shut because the words he wanted to say simply didn't sound right in his mind. Axel's brow raised slightly higher above his eye, though by now each green orb was filled with both confusion and amusement at the blonde. Obviously Roxas was trying to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the right words to say. But as he waited, the voices at the top of the hill registered in his mind. Cat calls sounded through the still winter air, belonging to the one and only Sora Strife and Riku Silver. An urge to turn around and curse at them overcame Axel, but the thought of doing so was pushed aside as he remembered that Roxas was attempting to say something. However, the blonde was going to have to hurry up, otherwise someone was going to get the bright idea of sliding down and see what was going on, or to pick fun at them. Luckily, for the moment, they were being given a sliver of privacy. Most likely all thanks to Namine and her frightening glares. Another note was made to himself, this time to question Namine and thank her, if she had yet again saved their behinds. Or rather, Roxas' behind. Not many noticed it, but Axel was one of the ones who did. For several years now, Namine had had her baby blue eyes set upon Roxas. But being the shy and polite girl that she was, the woman had never said anything to him. Most likely out of fright that he would reject her, or to keep their friendship the way it was.

Suddenly remembering Roxas on his lap, Axel's eyes lost their steely look of concentration as they lowered down to the blonde. Roxas' mouth still opened and closed as he fought with himself to say what he wanted to say. A smirk slowly began to edge it's way across Axel's face, watching Roxas act the way he was. But then his own mind began to work, and a single thought entered his mind. At once he knew it was a bad idea, and that it could possibly ruin the friendship that he and Roxas had formed so many years beforehand. However, what else was there for Axel to do? If he didn't interfere, the smaller man could possibly go on all day, fighting with himself while his mouth worked open and shut.

His hand lifted to hover a mere inch above the blond's leg, where it stayed for several moments. There was no change in Roxas, so the red-head proceeded on to the next task at hand. He continued on raising his arm, only lowering it so that it lightly ghosted against Roxas' cloth-covered arm. Even then there was no change in Roxas, so Axel continued on. In the next moment he hesitated, hand pausing beneath Roxas' chin for a slight second. In the next moment he willed himself to go on, and then his uncovered fingers were gently resting on the younger man's chin. The chin from Axel's fingers must have startled the blonde, for he flinched away from the touch as soon as it registered in his mind. Eyes blinking as he came back down to reality, Roxas only stared at Axel for a short moment before he leaned back into the touch. This surprised Axel to the point where it was his turn to freeze, eyes betraying his confusion on the matter. Fear entered his mind, although there was a tiny voice in the back of his head that told him to go on. Roxas had flinched, but had leaned back in when he had acessed the situation.

Taking this as a good sign, Axel only put slight pressure on his fingers. Roxas understood immediately, and in the next few seconds he began to lift his chin higher. Taking in a sharp breath, Roxas waited for what he knew was most definitely going to happen next. It seemed almost like a movie, the way everything was falling into place. He didn't have to say anything, which was a good thing. But then again, there were so many things he wanted to say to Axel. Yet at the same time, he simply wanted the tranquility of the silence to remain. The blonde was afraid that, if he spoke, everything would shatter and they would simply go about their lives as normal. And, like the movies, the following seconds seemed to go in slow motion for both Axel and Roxas. The older one of the two lowered his face closer to Roxas', until their forehead's were pressed against one another.

Axel's breaths began to shake with nervousness as they got close, even more so when Roxas' gorgeous azure eyes were hardly an inch away from his own. Slowly they disappeared from his view, much to the red-head's disappointment. Until he realized that Roxas wanted this, and that by closing his eyes he was openly waiting for Axel to press his own lips against his. And this time, there was no hesitation as Axel closed the distance between them, pressing their cold lips against one another.

* * *

*gulps nervously*

So.. should I continue? This took me about two weeks to type up, because I wanted it to be detailed and descriptive. I have the beginning of part two written, in which will be a lemon.

Review? Favorite?  
I'm not all that picky about what my reviews say, but I would like for people to point out mistakes I've made, as well as anything that can improve my writing. After all, if you do not like it, the only way I'm going to know what to change is if you review! =)


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